1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating two or more components existent in a solvent for chromatography by combining multiple powder containers filled with multiple stationary phase powders for chromatography with multiple solvent container filled with the solvent for chromatography, and to a method using the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the separation of a large amount of an organic compound that is difficult to be purified in large quantities by fractional distillation or fractional crystallization, there is liquid chromatography making use of a difference in partition factor between the solid phase and the liquid phase of an organic compound. This involves such economical problems that it requires a large amount of an expensive stationary-phase carrier and the recovery of a large amount of an elute. There is also fluidized stationary phase chromatography in which a stationary phase is added continuously to cause a liquid phase and the stationary phase to flow countercurrently to each other unlike general chromatography. This is conceptually possible but it is difficult to put it into practice.
In the case of separation by liquid chromatography, an elute generally moves and the length that the elute moves and reaches partition equilibrium is considered as one stage. Since the elute reaches equilibrium while moving, in the case of a column for preparation having a large diameter, the effective number of stages per the length of the column tends to be small.